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Churches fight way out of recession
By Kathleen McGrory
 
Local churches, hurt by falling collections and rising financial pressures, say they are beginning to see a rebound...

Pastor Wayne Lomax got the bad news a week into Lenten season. The bank was foreclosing on his Fountain of New Life Ministries in Miami Gardens.

“I went to seminary, but I don’t remember them teaching anything like this,” he said.

For the past three years, houses of worship have experienced the same economic hardships as parishioners.

Churches have seen the cost of electricity and gas rise — and had more people and social service providers asking for their help. All the while, there have been fewer dollars on the collection plate to help foot the bill.

But on Easter, Christianity’s day of resurrection, hope and renewal, South Florida spiritual leaders say there are encouraging signs. Many local parishes say their numbers are growing — and that financial pressures have begun to ease.

Within Catholic churches, pledges to the Archbishop’s Charities and Development Drive have already climbed to $11.8 million. The goal was $9.7 million, according to the Archdiocese of Miami. The number of donors pledging at least $5,000 more than doubled.

“Every parish has succeeded in bringing in more pledges than they did last year,” Archbishop Thomas Wenski told worshippers at Tuesday’s Chrism Mass, marking the start of Easter celebrations, at the Cathedral of St. Mary.

Like their counterparts in business, many South Florida churches expanded during the boom years, borrowing money for renovations, additions, and, in some cases, entire new campuses.

Then came the bust.

RECENT CLOSURES

Nationwide, nearly two-thirds of congregations saw their income drop during the recession, according to a study released this past week by an inter-faith group of researchers. Congregations of all sizes and denominations in all parts of the country felt the impact.

In 2009, the Miami Archdiocese had to close 13 struggling South Florida parishes and seven Catholic schools. The archdiocese also cut funding for its pro-life office and pregnancy care centers.

This year, the economic picture is brightening, said Teresa Martinez, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese. More money is coming in. Adult baptisms are also up from 371 last year to 489 this year.

At Coral Ridge Presbyterian, one of Fort Lauderdale’s largest churches, giving dropped off during the recession. That dip was especially pronounced among the congregation’s younger members, Director of Communications Vinny Cesar said.

To cut costs, building administrators replaced all of the halogen light bulbs in the church with energy-efficient LEDs. They turned off the lights when the main sanctuary was empty, invested in larger dumpsters so the trash wouldn’t have to be picked up as often, and asked members to help out with the landscaping. At least one church employee was laid off.

But church officials say there is something to be optimistic about. Since September, several hundred people have become members at Coral Ridge, boosting membership to about 1,500. Last month alone, more than 60 people joined the congregation. From a financial standpoint, new members are a new source of revenue.

CHARITABLE WORKS

Despite the downturn, many local churches stepped up their charitable giving in response to the greater community need.

St. Faith’s Episcopal Church in Cutler Bay had a significant loss in revenue. To tame the electric bill, church employees began relying on natural light in the main office. They also became more conservative with the air conditioning.

“We’ve been on a very tight budget,” said the Rev. Jennie Lou Reid, who presides over a congregation of about 90. “We can’t always pay everything right when it comes due.”

But St. Faith’s continued its community ministries. The parish grew its food pantry to provide groceries to more low-income families each month.

At the onset of the recession, Mt. Hermon African Methodist Episcopal Church in Miami Gardens began a tradition of purchasing new clothes and shoes for homeless children just before Easter.

It’s a big undertaking for the church and its members. The Rev. John F. White II asks each parishioner to donate $40 toward the effort, a sizeable donation from people who are struggling themselves.

White says his members give generously.

“It’s important for us to remind these young people that there are still people who care about them,” he said.
Nationally, one in 10 congregations say now they have begun to recover from the recession, according to the national study.

“There is evidence that the worst may be over,” said David Roozen, director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research who authored the study.

Not all churches have been able to survive the economic downturn. The recession pushed about 5 percent of congregations nationwide into severe financial distress, Roozen said.

“If you were hurting before and got hit by the recession, it likely pushed you to the brink,” he said.

But Roozen said the sagging economy might have actually helped the congregations that hung on — from a financial standpoint, at least. By hunkering down, the churches learned to spend their money smarter and work more efficiently.

ECONOMIC LESSONS

For Lomax, the pastor at Fountain of New Life Ministries, the recession has been a lesson in economics and accounting.

Lomax founded Fountain 15 years ago in the living room of his Fort Lauderdale home. He grew it into a successful congregation of several hundred based out of a leased property in Pembroke Pines.

Last year, Fountain merged with a Miami Gardens church in foreclosure. Lomax took over the $1.4 million loan on the Miami Gardens site, promising to pay it off within a year, he said. But over the course of the year, the congregation grew steadily. As expenses soared, income stayed flat. Lomax said he struggled to keep up with the loan.

In March, the bank filed for the second time to foreclose on the property.

At first, the parish was devastated. But Lomax says the foreclosure notice has been a catalyst.

The parishioners have rallied together to support the church, legally, financially and spiritually.

Lomax is optimistic. He says he is close to securing the money to bring the loan up to date.

“It’s like the Easter story,” Lomax said. “There would never have been a resurrection had there not been a death.”

Read it at the Miami Herald


 
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